Space divider



March 30, 1965 R. D. ROSELLE ETAL SPACE DIVIDER Filed Sept. 27, 1962INVENTOR. RICHARD D. ROSELLE BYKIRK S. ADAMS ATTORN EYS lL-ar'. a,

United States Patent Filed Sept. 27, 1962, Ser. No. 226,520 4 Claims.(Cl. 160-378) The present invention relates to a decorative spacedivider with alternating panels and buttons covering and supported by alatticework.

Important objects of the invention are to provide a decorative spacedivider of unusually simple and economical construction havingprefabricated components which can be easily assembled by a novice, andby which a great variety of decorative effects can be achieved withoutchange in the basic components.

Other more particular objects and advantages of the invention will, withthe foregoing, appear and be understood in the course of the followingnovel construction and in the adaptation and combination of partshereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a space dividerembodying our invention.

FIG. 2 is a detail front elevational view with parts broken away.

FIG. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken along line 3- -3 ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view taken asindicated by line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings it is seen that our space divider has a borderframe as of wood across which is tensioned a latticework of articulatedstraps each composed of a series of tie-links 11. These links arepreferably lengths of spring-steel strapping perforated at their ends toform terminal eyes 12, and they provide the support for panels 13. Inthe illustrated example these panels are of square shape and arearranged in vertical rows with the supporting tensioned strapscrisscrossing diagonally, but the panels 13 may be of a variety ofshapes and sizes and the crossing angles of the straps may be variedwithout departing from the invention. Similarly, the shape of the borderframe 10 can be varied from the rectangular example illustrated.

For economy and ease of erection of the divider we prefer toprefabricate each panel 13 with a pair of crossed tie-links 11 as aunit. This is accomplished by providing a core plate 14- such as ofhardboard and diagonally grooving it to form shallow diagonally crossinggrooves 15 to receive the tie-links. The core plate is then covered byfacing plates 16-17 which are bonded thereto by a suitable adhesive withthe plate 16 hiding the grooves 15 and most of the length of the relatedtie-links. Thus there is formed a panel unit having'only the eyes of thetie-links exposed, such projecting diagonally from the corners thereof.Instead of using a core plate and two facing plates, the core plate andfacing plate 17 can of course be a single piece of material.

In any regard, the facing plates 16-17 can be, for example, metal,ceramic or plastic tiles of various colors, or wood veneer, and can beembossed, enameled, carved, or otherwise decorated with selecteddesigns. Furthermore, since the facingplates on one side of the dividercan be varied from those on the other side, different decors can beachieved by a single divider.

To interconnect the tie-links 11 of the panel units while at the sametime hiding the terminal eyes thereof, we prefer to use double-headedconnectors 18 having button heads 20. These buttons may be round asshown or any other selected shape for the desired design effect and mayhave their outer faces decorated. For economy the buttons may be wood orplastic each formed with a center hole 21 for receiving a self-tappingscrew 22. The latter has a socket head 22a for a turning tool to threadthe screw part way into the hole 21 of one of the buttons. Then thecomplementing button can be turned onto the socket end of the screwafter the tie-link eyes for the adjoining panels have been fittedthereover.

The connectors 18a adjoining the border frame 10 not only receive thetie-links of the respective panel units, but also interfit. with theeyes 23 of fiat-headed eye bolts 22 whose shanks are anchored to theborder frame. For this purpose the requisite bolt holes 24 in the latterare preferably counter-bored at their outer ends to house washers andnuts 25 for the eye bolts. The nuts 25 are tightened such as to tensionthe lattice of tie-links and thereby give the panels 13 resistance toloads normal to the plane of the divider.

It is thought that the invention will have been clearly understood fromthe foregoing detailed description. Changes will suggest themselves andmay be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention,wherefore it is our intention that no limitations be implied and thatthe hereto annexed claims be given a scope fully commensurate with thebroadest interpretation to which the employed language fairly admits.

What we claim is:

1. A space divider comprising, a plurality of coplanar panel units eachcomprising a panel having four generally coplanar tie-link portionsextending from the inside of the respective panel, each said tie-linkportion having a respective terminal eye projecting beyond therespective panel so that each panel unit has four said terminal eyesarranged as the four corner vertexes of a rectangle, said panel unitsbeing arranged in parallel rows in an articulated latticework, each ofthe articulations of said latticework comprising four of said terminaleyes from four of said panel units registering with one another andhaving a connector through the four registering eyes, a border framearound said latticework, and tensioning means anchored to said borderframe and connected to the terminal eyes of the tie-link portions whichborder the border frame for tensioning said latticework.

2. The space divider of claim 1 in which said tensioning means compriseseye-bolts with flat heads anchored to said frame with their eyesprojecting toward the center of the frame and registering with saidterminal eyes of the tie-link portions bordering the border frame, andconnectors passing through said registering eyes of the tie-linkportions and eye-bolts.

3. The space divider of claim 1 in which each of said panels has arespective core plate with the respective said four tie-link portionslying in respective grooves formed in one face of the core plate, and arespective facing plate covering said one face of the core plate andsecured thereto.

4. The space divider of claim 3 in which the width of said grooves isconsiderably more than their depth, and in which each of said tie-linkportions comprises a portion of a flat strap perforated at one end toprovide a respective one of said terminal eyes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,987,921 Bertsch Ian. 15, 1935 2,398,070 Allen Apr. 9, 1946 2,826,521Robinson Mar. 11, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 739,084 France June 5, 1933241,193 Switzerland July 1, 1946

1. A SPACE DIVIDER COMPRISING, A PLURALITY OF COPLANAR PANEL UNITS EACHCOMPRISING A PANEL HAVING FOUR GENERALLY COPLANAR TIE-LINK PORTIONSEXTENDING FROM THE INSIDE OF THE RESPECTIVE PANEL, EACH SAID TIE-LINKPORTION HAVING A RESPECTIVE TERMINAL EYE PROJECTING BEYOND THERESPECTIVE PANEL SO THAT EACH PANEL UNIT HAS FOUR SAID TERMINAL EYESARRANGED AS THE FOUR CORNER VERTEXES OF A RECTANGEL, SAID PANEL UNITSBEING ARRANGED IN PARALLEL ROWS IN AN ARTICULATED LATTICEWORK, EACH OFTHE ARTICULATIONS OF SAID LATTICEWORK COMPRISING FOUR OF SAID TERMINALEYES FROM FOUR OF SAID PANEL UNITS REGISTERING WITH ONE ANOTHER ANDHAVING A CONNECTOR THROUGH THE FOUR REGISTERING EYES, A BORDER FRAMEAROUND SAID LATTICEWORK, AND TENSIONING MEANS ANCHORED TO SAID BORDERFRAME AND CONNECTED TO THE TERMINAL EYES OF THE TIE-LINK PORTIONS WHICHBORDER THE BORDER FRAME FOR TENSIONING SAID LATTICEWORK.